MO Gov Announces Creation of Ferguson Commission

Ferguson Commission in response to the civil unrest that has engulfed the city since the August 9 shooting death of Michael Brown.

“Throughout the history of our nation, we have struggled to treat all our citizens as equals,” Nixon opened his remarks. “Too often, we have fallen short of the guiding principles on which our great democracy was founded.”

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“The protests set in motion by the events of August 9 in Ferguson echo others within our lifetime. Across the decades, those protests have been a cry from the heart, heard and felt around the nation and around the world; a cry for justice, a cry for change in the schoolhouse, and the courthouse. A cry for change in the social and economic conditions that impede prosperity, equality and safety for all of us.”

“As the smoke clears, and the shouting dies down, the question that lingers in the air is, ‘what now?’ What will we do in this moment, while the whole world is watching? What will do to move forward after 73 days of civil unrest? How do we move on from shouting past one another in the streets, on the Internet, and on the evening news?”

“We need to solve these problems ourselves, and we need to solve them together. And we need to act now. That is why today I am announcing the creation of the Ferguson Commission. I am asking for your help in identifying individuals in this region to serve on this important commission. My fervent hope and belief is that we will find people from every walk of life who are willing to serve their state when it needs them the most.”

Nixon said he would use executive order to charge the Ferguson commission with three primary responsibilities.

“First, to conduct a thorough, wide-ranging, and unflinching study of the social and economic conditions underscored by the unrest in the wake of the death of Michael Brown,” Nixon said. “Second, to tap the expertise needed to address the concerns identified by the commission, from poverty and education, to governance and law enforcement. And third, to offer specific recommendations for making this region a stronger, fairer place for everyone to live.”